Exercise Guide

Active Hang

A hang with the shoulders pulled down and engaged, rather than relaxed. Builds the position every pull-up starts from.

BeginnerStrengthPullIsolation
Form
Active Hang - Start position
Start
Active Hang - Mid position
Mid
Active Hang - End position
End

Illustrations by Bryl Lim for Workout Guide, after Everkinetic. Used unchanged under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Details

Primary Muscle

Lats

Equipment

Bodyweight

Difficulty

Beginner

Category

Strength

Force

Pull

Mechanic

Isolation

Secondary Muscles

Middle BackForearmsCore
How to Perform
  1. 1

    Grip a pull-up bar overhand at roughly shoulder width and take your feet off the floor.

  2. 2

    From a relaxed hang, pull your shoulder blades down and together without bending your elbows.

  3. 3

    Your body should rise a couple of centimetres and your ears move away from your shoulders.

  4. 4

    Hold that engaged position for time.

Tips
  • Elbows stay straight - the moment they bend it is a pull-up, not a hang.
  • Alternate with dead hangs: one builds the position, the other the grip.